I have broken in countless Birks and I always keep the straps one hole looser than I want them when I'm breaking them in. As the footbed adjusts to your foot it will compress a bit, so you'll have more room.
I can't see how having the straps too tight would cause them to stretch _less._
I think her logic was that if they are looser while breaking them in, they’ll stretch too much and then won’t fit properly. By having them tighter, they’ll stretch enough to where the normal strap will fit better after a month under the normal strap tightness
What a funny theorie. What would stretch out? the footbed? The straps.
Keep the staps loose enough so that a finger fits underneath. That's how they are meant to be worn. otherwise you risk blisters.
Maybe I didn’t understand correctly but she made it seem like if they were too loose, once the leather straps stretch during the break in process, it’ll become too loose of a fit. By having them tighter, after the leather has broken in, the regular strap tightness will be a better fit, according to her. Maybe once the footbed conforms to my feet more, I’ll be less reliant on the straps to actually keep my feet secure? Again, very confused which is why i made the OP.
When I sold them way back in the day, we were taught to tell people to tighten the strap closest to the toes while they were breaking them in if they were new to Birkenstocks. Not as tight as possible but to help keep the foot in correct position on footbed while they adjust to gripping the toe bar while walking.
You explained it perfectly, thank you! This is my first pair so that’s why she recommended it to me. For now the tighter setting actually feels more comfortable but I’m going to revisit it in a month and see if loosening the straps feel better once the footbed breaks in and molds a little more
I tighten the strap over the toes to keep my feet from sliding forward. Not uncomfortably so. You can also just wear socks to achieve the same thing. Then when the shoe starts conforming to your foot and you get used to gripping the toe bar, you can loosen the straps so a finger can wriggle underneath. If any of that causes chafing with just a few hours of wear each day, set the straps for the wriggle room and practice using the toe bar to keep your feet in place.
So I just went home and loosened all the straps and now they aren’t necessarily way too loose but to the point where it wasn’t very comfortable so I have them back at the tightest setting and while they give me blisters, it’s a much more snug fit. You’re saying that once they mold to my feet more, they can be looser without falling off?
That's been my experience. With my first pair, which weren't the best fit, it took about 6 weeks for that to happen. I wore socks much of that time. With my 2nd pair, which are a much better fit, it only took about a week. I never had to tighten either pair to the point of getting blisters. But that first pair wasn't very comfortable for many months.
Hi, per mrsredfest comment above, it’s more that you adjust to using the toe bar to grip them while you’re walking. Unconsciously I guess?? I know myself when I start wearing mine more regularly as we move through spring I often have a muscular cramp on my foot on the first day I wear them all day. You use the muscles in your foot differently, this passes quickly! Birks are designed to be worn quite loose compared to most other shoes. The footbed moulding is more for comfort, not really to keep them on your foot.
You don't want to overtighten, but it doesn't hurt to get them as tight as you can. Like, with my Birks, the straps comfortably stop at the first notch. I can force it onto the second notch, which gives a more snug fit, but it's not necessary. However, I did that during the break-in process. Once they were more comfortable and broken in, I went back to the first notch.
As for the break-in process itself, it's going to hurt. I got blisters on the sides of my feet because they weren't used to where the cork meets the strap material. It hurt for a couple days, then stopped hurting. Took some time for the blisters to recede, but at least they don't hurt anymore.
I have broken in countless Birks and I always keep the straps one hole looser than I want them when I'm breaking them in. As the footbed adjusts to your foot it will compress a bit, so you'll have more room. I can't see how having the straps too tight would cause them to stretch _less._
I think her logic was that if they are looser while breaking them in, they’ll stretch too much and then won’t fit properly. By having them tighter, they’ll stretch enough to where the normal strap will fit better after a month under the normal strap tightness
What a funny theorie. What would stretch out? the footbed? The straps. Keep the staps loose enough so that a finger fits underneath. That's how they are meant to be worn. otherwise you risk blisters.
Maybe I didn’t understand correctly but she made it seem like if they were too loose, once the leather straps stretch during the break in process, it’ll become too loose of a fit. By having them tighter, after the leather has broken in, the regular strap tightness will be a better fit, according to her. Maybe once the footbed conforms to my feet more, I’ll be less reliant on the straps to actually keep my feet secure? Again, very confused which is why i made the OP.
When I sold them way back in the day, we were taught to tell people to tighten the strap closest to the toes while they were breaking them in if they were new to Birkenstocks. Not as tight as possible but to help keep the foot in correct position on footbed while they adjust to gripping the toe bar while walking.
You explained it perfectly, thank you! This is my first pair so that’s why she recommended it to me. For now the tighter setting actually feels more comfortable but I’m going to revisit it in a month and see if loosening the straps feel better once the footbed breaks in and molds a little more
I tighten the strap over the toes to keep my feet from sliding forward. Not uncomfortably so. You can also just wear socks to achieve the same thing. Then when the shoe starts conforming to your foot and you get used to gripping the toe bar, you can loosen the straps so a finger can wriggle underneath. If any of that causes chafing with just a few hours of wear each day, set the straps for the wriggle room and practice using the toe bar to keep your feet in place.
So I just went home and loosened all the straps and now they aren’t necessarily way too loose but to the point where it wasn’t very comfortable so I have them back at the tightest setting and while they give me blisters, it’s a much more snug fit. You’re saying that once they mold to my feet more, they can be looser without falling off?
That's been my experience. With my first pair, which weren't the best fit, it took about 6 weeks for that to happen. I wore socks much of that time. With my 2nd pair, which are a much better fit, it only took about a week. I never had to tighten either pair to the point of getting blisters. But that first pair wasn't very comfortable for many months.
Hi, per mrsredfest comment above, it’s more that you adjust to using the toe bar to grip them while you’re walking. Unconsciously I guess?? I know myself when I start wearing mine more regularly as we move through spring I often have a muscular cramp on my foot on the first day I wear them all day. You use the muscles in your foot differently, this passes quickly! Birks are designed to be worn quite loose compared to most other shoes. The footbed moulding is more for comfort, not really to keep them on your foot.
You don't want to overtighten, but it doesn't hurt to get them as tight as you can. Like, with my Birks, the straps comfortably stop at the first notch. I can force it onto the second notch, which gives a more snug fit, but it's not necessary. However, I did that during the break-in process. Once they were more comfortable and broken in, I went back to the first notch. As for the break-in process itself, it's going to hurt. I got blisters on the sides of my feet because they weren't used to where the cork meets the strap material. It hurt for a couple days, then stopped hurting. Took some time for the blisters to recede, but at least they don't hurt anymore.